STORAGE BOX WITH SLIDING LID

Description

technical field :

[0001] The present invention relates to a compartmentalized box particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for storing small items such as electronic components, laboratory samples. State of the art :

[0002] Compartment boxes, very practical for storing numerous items, generally have a hinged or sliding lid. To retrieve an item from a specific compartment, the lid must be opened. With hinged lids, opening is easy, but there is often a risk of the box accidentally opening and the contents of the compartments mixing up if it is bumped. With sliding lids, this risk of accidental opening is less significant, but the lid must slide along most of the box to access all the compartments, making it difficult to open. This is often the case with pill organizers (see, for example, patents DE 560 098 C or US 2013 / 075418 A1).Furthermore, for both types of lids, the open lid, due to its size, presents an obstacle that can be caught on during handling of objects, and due to its mass, a source of instability for the box, which considerably increases the risk of the box tipping over when open and the contents of the compartments mixing. Documents EP2217503A1 and US2010 / 012547A1 disclose other storage boxes. Description of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to limit these problems by allowing access to all compartments of the box with a sliding lid and with a very limited movement of this lid compared to the dimensions of the box.

[0004] The invention comprises a device according to claim 1, particularly a compartmentalized box formed by cavities distributed in a suitable arrangement, and a lid that can slide parallel to the surface of the compartmentalized box and is pierced with openings of suitable dimensions and arrangement such that, depending on the variable position of the sliding lid, either unperforated areas of the lid are positioned above the cavities, closing off access to the compartments and the objects they contain (box in the "closed" position), or perforated areas of the lid are positioned above the cavities, allowing access to their contents (box in the "open" position). It is sufficient to slide the lid over a distance extremely small compared to the size of the box (typically the size of a cavity) to open or close access to all the cavities.

[0005] Thus, handling compartmentalized boxes containing many objects becomes much easier and with considerably reduced risks of tipping and accidental opening.

[0006] In various possible embodiments, the present invention also relates to the following features which may be considered in isolation or according to all their technically possible combinations and each provides specific advantages.

[0007] The lid can slide parallel to the surface of the box following a linear movement or a rotation relative to the surface of the compartment box.

[0008] Stops can be used to limit the movement of the lid in order, for example, to easily align the cavities of the box and the openings of the lid in order to easily access the cavities.

[0009] The sliding lid can be divided into several sub-parts that can slide independently on the compartment box, allowing access to only a portion of the compartments by sliding only the relevant sub-part of the lid.

[0010] The lid can be held permanently closed by one or more springs against one or more stops. To access the items in the compartments, simply apply lateral pressure to the lid, which will slide open, deforming the spring until it reaches a stop that positions the openings above the compartments. Once you have finished handling one or more items, simply release the pressure on the lid, which will slide naturally back into the closed position thanks to the spring. This spring mechanism provides great ease of use, as all compartments can be accessed with a simple press. It also enhances the safety of the box. Firstly, because the box cannot be left open, it significantly reduces the risk of accidentally spilling the contents of the compartments.Furthermore, if during handling the pressure is unintentionally released (for example by dropping the box), the spring, by instantly and simultaneously closing all the compartments, prevents the accidental spillage of the objects contained in the compartments.

[0011] This device according to the invention is particularly, but not exclusively, suitable for storing small objects such as electronic components, laboratory samples, medicine pills, screws or other items. Brief description of the drawings

[0012] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention that follows, illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which: There Figure 1A : Top and cross-sectional view of the compartmentalized box with its sliding lid in the closed position, according to a first possible embodiment of the invention. figure 1B: Top and cross-sectional view of the compartmentalized box with its sliding lid in the open position, according to a first possible embodiment of the invention. figure 2 : Top view and cross-section of the compartment box with its sliding lid divided into two sub-parts, one sub-part being in the open position and the other in the closed position according to another possible embodiment of the invention. There figure 3A Figure 3B: Top and cross-sectional view of the compartment box with its sliding lid held in the closed position by two springs, according to yet another possible embodiment of the invention. Figure 3B: Top and cross-sectional view of the compartment box with its sliding lid held in the open position by pressure applied by the user, according to yet another possible embodiment of the invention. Ways to implement the invention

[0013] The features and advantages of the invention will become more particularly apparent from the following description, which refers to embodiments, it being understood that these embodiments shall not constitute any limitation to the scope of the invention.

[0014] In this first embodiment ( Figures 1A And 1BThe compartmentalized box consists of a series of cavities separated by a sufficient distance, formed in a plate of suitable thickness (1). These cavities form the storage compartments (2). The sliding lid consists of a plate (3) with openings (4). The lid can slide into a variable position, parallel to the surface of the box along one of its edges, for example, by means of grooves formed in the box (5). The openings in the lid are of suitable dimensions and arranged so that, when the lid is closed, the cavities are covered by unperforated areas of the lid (section A-A'). To access the objects contained in the compartments, the lid is simply slid laterally to bring the openings in the lid over the cavities (section B-B').Stops can be used to limit this movement, for example, to easily align the cavities and openings in the lid. To close the compartments, simply slide the lid in the opposite direction to bring the unperforated areas of the lid over the cavities. The lid and the plate containing the compartments can be made of various materials, such as plastic, for example, by injection molding or machining. The lid can be made of transparent plastic so that the contents of the cavities can be seen when unperforated areas of the lid close off access.

[0015] In this alternative embodiment ( figure 2 ), the lid is divided into several sub-parts that can slide independently on the box in separate grooves made in the compartment box, which allows access to only part of the compartments by sliding only the relevant sub-part of the lid (section C-C').

[0016] In another embodiment ( figure 3A (and 3B), the lid is held permanently in the closed position by a spring (6) against a stop (7) (section E-E'), so that above the cavities of the box there is an unperforated area of ​​the lid (section D-D'). When accessing the objects contained in the cavities is desired, simply apply lateral pressure to the lid, which will slide, compressing the spring to bring the perforated parts of the lid over the cavities (section F-F'). Stops (8) can limit this movement to, for example, easily align the cavities and the openings in the lid (section G-G'). As long as the pressure is maintained, the compartments are accessible. When handling one or more objects has finished, simply release the pressure on the lid, which will slide back into the closed position thanks to the spring.

[0017] Of course, the invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described and presented; it is susceptible to numerous variants accessible to those skilled in the art, according to the applications envisaged, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Storage box device comprising a box (1) with appropriately arranged compartments (2), provided with a lid (3) adapted to slide parallel to the surface of the box characterized in that the lid is pierced with openings (4) distributed in an appropriate arrangement, such that a movement of limited amplitude, that is to say small compared to the dimensions of the box, of the sliding lid allows to simultaneously open or close access to all the compartments of the box, by positioning either non-pierced zones of the lid above the compartments to close access thereto in the closed position, or pierced zones of the lid above the compartments to open access thereto in the open position.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lid is adapted to slide parallel to an edge of the box.

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lid is adapted to slide in a rotary movement.